Context:
Recommended treatment duration for cryotherapy varies, but the primary therapeutic benefit may be related to the amount of time required for changes in cutaneous sensation.
Objective:
To determine the amount of time required to induce numbness for three different modes of cryotherapy administration, and the amount of time that numbness persists after treatment.
Design:
Repeated measures.
Participants:
30 healthy adults (12 males, 18 females, age = 21.1 ± 1.9 years).
Interventions:
Crushed ice bag, ice massage, and cold water immersion.
Main Outcome Measures:
Time required to induce numbness and the amount of time numbness remained after removal of each mode of cryotherapy.
Results:
Ice massage and cold water immersion produced numbness significantly faster than the crushed ice. There were no significant differences in terms of numbness duration.
Conclusions:
Changes in cutaneous sensation can be achieved in a relatively short amount of time (6–12 minutes) with ice massage and cold water immersion. The duration of the treatment effect did not differ among the three modes of cryotherapy administration.
